Essence
by CloeyMarie
Summary: Sakura has been made a vessel and she has been given a gift in return for her service. Caught up in the politics of the gods Sakura must enact the will of KonoHana and of her village against a common enemy. SakuNaru
1. Gifts of gods are not to be cast away

"Never to have suffered would never to have been blessed." –Edgar Allen Poe

"Dear eyes!--do not my heart forsake,  
Shine, like the stars within the lake, --  
Shine, and the darksome shadows break."  
- Augustine J.H. Dugane

The clang of metal parrying metal, grunts and shouts echoing forth through the darkened woods, the quiet sound of metallic crimson falling to the ground. This was how shinobi made war, battles; this was what they trained for. This was what they born to do, what they lived for. They were good, in a way only years of training could bring. They were shinobi of the hidden leaf.

Their task had been simple, watch and garner information about their enemy. No contact was to be made; no notice was to be taken of them. It didn't work out that way. They had been going along according to the regular flow of guard transitions, that was their opening to get into position, but this night they changed the schedule. It took only one moment for weeks of work to be blown. They were forced to retreat. A four man team against the might of Orochimaru was laughable at best especially when ill prepared. They were to be ghosts with ears. They failed and fell a week short of the scheduled departure.

They had retreated; _Shogi _in front leading them just as he had done in the mission, _Ramen _was behind him serving to pack a punch should they run into anyone head on and to protect the medic who was appropriately called _Medic_, and _Eyes _wrapped up their small procession as the bounded away from their incomplete mission.

They had run into resistance on their way out of the land of the sound, it had been promptly taken care of, but after a few hours of the continuous fighting and running it had taken its toll.

Activating the Byakugan _Eyes _attacked the nin that had been foolish enough to charge head on with only katana. Moving quickly to the side _Eyes_ knocked the weapon from his hold with a kunai. The nin slumped to the ground gore oozing from a wound to the neck. Without batting an eyelash behind the anbu mask the killer turned and progressed to his next victim effectively shutting them down with Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou. The rest were taken out with shuriken primarily, they were easy opponents with numbers.

_Medic _was to stay back and keep safe only rocketing out when a teammate was injured, on one of these excursions she was drawn aside. Using chakra enhanced fists to smash her way through the mediocre ninjas she tried to navigate back to her team but her efforts were only reworded with wounds that otherwise could have been deflected had she been paying her whole attention.

She cut through the enemy nin as if they were little more than paper dolls. With every one that fell she could see their attempts become more desperate; no longer to kill but to preserve their lives.

With perspiration dripping freely and rolling down her warm flesh _Medic _regarded the last 'obstacle' yet to be taken care of. With keen eyes she could distinguish that the nin was female, young, and scared out of her mind if the shaking were anything to go by. Gritting her teeth against the small amount of pity that welled within her at the sight she produced a kunai from seemingly nowhere and charged.

When _Medic _thought back on the incident later she would remember the slight shifting of eye color, the way the shaking had stopped as if the girl were an addict and had her hit, she would recall the shimmering powder that was shot into her eyes unable to move enough to get out of the way with the momentum she had built. She would recall the blinding pain that pounded its way into her skull leaving a hot trail of pain that she could feel as it worked its way to her brain, she would remember the brief flash of darkness that lifted itself momentarily, _Medic _could also recollect the squelch that the nin's body as it gave as she drove the kunai and by extension, her hand through the enemies sternum no longer feeling so sorry for her.

_Medic _sent a wave of chakra to her eyes to access the damage that had been done. Nothing too serious, it was gone in a heartbeat. Sensing her comrades' chakra a mile northeast she was off mentally berating herself for her separation the whole way back to them.

They traveled, covering their passing well enough that even the woodland creatures were left to wonder if they had truly seen anything out of the norm. Darkness fell heavily and quickly, a new moon left little light to squander as they plowed further into the inky blackness while fighting off the claws of trees. When _Shogi _gave a slight nod of his head they simultaneously stopped and set to work making camp. With ease the small tents were erected, carefully hidden, and they gathered around the nonexistent fire sharing a cold meal before heading to bed.

_Medic _all but crumpled into the comfort of her sleeping bag after dragging her sore and protesting body to it. Healing herself and the others was tiring work, rubbing lazily at her itchy eyes she drew the covers up around her not even bothering to kick off her boots.

_The floor was littered in pink blossoms; they seemed to expand into the sky as they swayed in the nonexistent breeze. Trees, majestic in both height and the silver they were wrought from shinned enticing Sakura to climb them though she knew the razor sharp leaves would leave their mark. Turning her back on the silver orchard lest she be tempted further she surveyed her surroundings. "Eternity." The word echoed from both nowhere and everywhere, soft and booming, soothing and frightening. A contradiction that sent chills down her spine in anticipation. _

"This place is messed _up_!" _With that the tranquility was shattered as the harsh outline of inner Sakura faded into existence._

"Where are we?" _Sakura wondered aloud nonplussed at the appearance of her alter self. _

"Hell of I know!" _Inner Sakura peered around comically as if doing so would enable her to find the answer. _

"_You are in my realm." It was the voice again and no less potent. _

"Well that just clears _everything _up!" _Inner Sakura spoke scathingly as she angrily shook her fist at the petal infested sky, mentally Sakura agreed but kept quiet favoring staying alert instead. _

"_How amusing you are." That was just great, they (whoever 'they' were) were laughing at her. It did nothing to settle Sakura's rattled nerves. Inner Sakura shouted obscenities at the unknown observer. Sensing a presence behind her Sakura whipped around to behold if not the then one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen. The woman's skin was like alabaster, her hair was intricately piled atop her head decorated with ornaments of precious metals and stones, her robe whispered as she moved towards them, the sunlight making the golden embroidery shimmer._

"_I require you're services_." _Her voice was softy and breathy as if the slightest breeze would carry it away._

"Why? What do you need?" _Sakura spoke haltingly pondering over ever word that passed her mouth. Even Inner Sakura seemed to realize the gravity of the situation as the quietly pouted off to the side. _

"_I need you to accomplish an end. Your objectives align with mine; you would make the perfect vessel." Hands clasped together formally the woman regarded Sakura shrewdly as if stripping away her every defense and laying siege to her very soul. _

"We're not cryptic in the least." _Inner Sakura declared wildly leveling the woman with a cold glare._

_Disregarding her counter part Sakura spoke, "_What objectives would these be_?" Her mind was aflame with all the possibilities._

"_To kill a snake."_ _With that one utterance Sakura's mind ground to a halt._

"Now we're talking, cha!"_ Inner Sakura pumped her fist into the air excitedly._

"Wha…what will I get in return?" _She fought to regain control of her composure. What would this cost her? Why would she align herself with her? What would she get for this? What had 'the snake' done to this woman? Her mind was overflowing with questions._

_A brief smile flickered across the strange woman's face._ "_What you have lost you shall regain tenfold." Inner Sakura was right; she was cryptic as all hell. Racking her brain for something that she had lost she found nothing._

"What did I lose_?" It was a terrible thing to admit being unknowledgeable, it was worse to admit it when making a bargain. _

_Once again the woman hosted a smile._ _"Nothing that can't be fixed, improved. What have you to lose? I help you against the snake and give you a gift all in exchange for something you're already going to do. All is gain."_

_Sakura didn't like this, to many variables, too many hidden possibilities. "No." Inner Sakura promptly fainted._

"_We shall see if you retain your answer. Awaken." Her mouth was a hard line and with a wave of her delicate hand Sakura fell down into the thick cushion of flowers, lulled into slumber by the heady perfume that seemed to wrap her in itself._

Blearily Sakura opened her eyes, to nothing. Her sleep laden mind tried to figure the reason. _New moon. _Somewhere in her mind like an annoying insect a little piece of knowledge was fighting to the forefront. Pushing it back Sakura wormed her way out of her sleeping roll and felt her way over to her lamp. With a flip of the switch Sakura could hear the lamp turn on but she still saw black. Something was wrong, drastically, unmistakably wrong. The annoying piece of information was finally recognized. Even if it was a new moon there would still be starlight. Frantically Sakura fumbled for another light source as she sent probing chakra to try and find the problem. Fighting down a panic attack she only faintly heard inner Sakura, "Holy shit! We're blind! How the hell are we supposed to look at the hotties now?" Against all logic Sakura waved her hand before her face hoping against hope that magically she would regain her sight. Nothing, only the air on her face and the knowledge that she was blind. The panic attack that she had fought off earlier was back with vengeance.

"Sakura?" A slightly hesitant voice asked from outside of her tent. Naruto. Fighting back tears she stumbled her way to the door needing human contact to soothe her. Tears trickled from her sightless eyes as she tried to unzip the flap to no avail. Luckily Naruto could tell there was obviously something wrong with her as soon enough the flap was open and she held her arms out piteously needing a hug but unable to initiate it.

Almost timidly strong arms wrapped around her every so often rubbing soothing circles in her back. "What's wrong?" Muttering unintelligently into his chest she steeled herself to tell him and to hear it aloud herself. "Sakura?"

"Don't rush us!" Inner Sakura joined in Sakura's sobbing as she wailed loudly while flinging away a Naruto plushie.

"I...I can't see." At that admission Sakura tightened her hold on the shocked man.

That was the start of it. The start of her relative uselessness. The beginning of the pitying looks that she could feel burning themselves through to her very soul. The initiate of having to be carried on their backs because it would have taken far too long for those capable of sight to guide her over the treacherous grounds. It initiated the examination by the Hokage that deemed her unable to go on real missions. However she would still be usable in the hospital where she could pour her chakra into the patient to 'see,' it was a small comfort at best.

It tore at her, ate at her. She had dedicated her life to gaining strength, to catch up to the powerhouses she called teammates. Dashed. Depression hovered ever near to the surface like a dark depth that threatened to swallow her alive. Inner Sakura attempted to beat the darkness away with a broom screeching like a banshee all the while. Sakura couldn't be sure if it was just Inner Sakura's way of lightening the mood or if perhaps it was in actuality what was going on in her mind.

Sighing tiredly she kicked the covers off of her squirming around for a while before falling into a restless sleep.

"Ah back again." _Sakura said dryly no longer captivated by the flowers. _

"Now what does the psycho want?" _Inner Sakura demanded angrily which she took out on the flowers by uprooting them before tossing them carelessly over her shoulder. _

"_I would appreciate it if you stopped your mindless destruction." The woman was back with a frown marring her face._

"Well I would appreciate it if you died and left us the bloody hell alone but we don't always get what we want now do we?" _Inner Sakura retorted sharply after which she stuck out the tongue at the woman. If the situation wasn't so serious Sakura would have laughed, as it was though she just allowed a small smile to appear. _

_The woman's frown deepened but ultimately she ignored inner Sakura. "Have you rethought my proposal?" Just like that Sakura understood. **What you have lost you shall regain tenfold. **The words echoed through her head, tauntingly. _

"How would you be able to make my sight ten times stronger when even the Hokage couldn't repair it?" _Sakura challenged her somewhat snidely._

"_A goddess transcends a mere Hokage." Was the calmly smug response. Mentally the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. Both Sakura and her inner self shared an open mouthed look of shock. _

"Shit, I just insulted a goddess, I'm gonna die!"_ Inner Sakura wailed tugging at her hair worriedly. _

"Why me?" _Sakura asked dubiously, ignoring inner Sakura altogether._

"_We immortals can only act through mortals to 'fight' for if we were to battle in person the consequences would be terrible and far reaching. Only a handful of mortals are capable of being vessels. Orochimaru and his minions have been chosen by another god to be his champions." She explained calmly as if she had all the time in the world which Sakura reminder herself that she probably did. _

"_You would make the best vessel due to your nature." At Sakura's questioning look she elaborated. "I am Ko-no-Hana." Sakura's mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she took all the information in. _

"And who…?" _The rest of the question wasn't needed._

"_Susanowa. Now that you have the information you desired what is your answer?" Ko-no-Hana inquired her eyes dancing with knowledge privy only to herself. _

_There were tales of selling your soul for useless things, Sakura had heard them as a child but she never did leach the knowledge of how to distinguish if it truly was a hollow thing or if it held value. It was easy to see the decision that should be made when she was sitting on her mother's lap listening. Now that she was in the situation it didn't seem as obvious as she once thought. _

"I'll do it." _Maybe she would regret this, maybe she would curse herself, and maybe she would rejoice. There were more than enough maybe's to make her stomach squirm in uncertainty. _

_Just like that Ko-no-Hana was directly in front of her gently closing Sakura's eyes with dexterous fingers. Sakura could feel the warm breathe enveloping her face putting a warm pressure on her eyes that lasted past the goddess withdrawing her hands and stayed even after Sakura crumbled to the ground. _

* * *

Alright kiddies, I'm off on another fic and we'll see how this goes. This will be multi-chaptered so you're in for a long haul. For those of you confused Ko-no-Hana is the Japanese Blossom Princess ("child-flower"), the symbol of delicate earthly life. She makes the flowers blossom.

Susanowa is the Japanese Shinto god of the winds, the storms, and the ocean, also the god of snakes. Susanowa is the personification of evil, but also a brave, if lawless and impetuous, god.

Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou means 'Hand of the eight divinations: Sixty-four palms'

Hopefully that cleared up most of the confusion but if you have any questions or would just like to make my day you're more than encouraged to review! –Cloey Marie-

Edited 3/1/07 to fix some minor mistakes.


	2. Echo back to me reality

Vastness! and Age! and Memories of Eld!  
Silence! and Desolation! and dim Night!  
I feel ye now- I feel ye in your strength.

-Edgar Allan Poe

And all my days are trances,  
And all my nightly dreams  
Are where thy dark eye glances,  
And where thy footstep gleams —  
In what ethereal dances,  
By what eternal streams.

-Edgar Allan Poe

With a jolt Sakura was sitting ram rod straight trying to quell her erratic breathing. Darkness, black, nothingness; it still clouded her vision, still suffocated her like nothing else could. In her fury she slammed her hands down instantly shattering her bed leaving her sitting in the middle of the mess as feathers floated down lazily in a virtual blizzard of white. "She lied to us! Next time I'm going kick her pansy ass!" Inner Sakura intoned darkly as she cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"_Is that so?" _Ko-no-Hana queried her voice a mixture of amusement and sarcasm. Sakura idly wondered how she could have three voices in her head at once.

"Is there a reason I still can't see?" Sakura demanded crossly. Suddenly amidst the dark Ko-no-Hana appeared.

"_Has patience fallen into disuse this badly?" _Inner Sakura muttered some rather uncomplimentary things whilst Sakura simply refused to comment. _"Fuel yours eyes with chakra." _

Excitedly and somewhat dubiously she followed the goddess' instructions eager to have her sight back.

Color slowly bled back into her world but it was…different. There was no alarm clock atop her dresser though she knew for a fact that it was there. Surveying her room quickly she noticed something, anything electric wasn't there. Perhaps it was just the fact that she had just regained her sight after a very long week of going without it but what she could see were giving off auras. Her dresser which was in fact a rich oak now took on a sickly mix of brown and black whereas the small potted plant that rested atop it gave off a vibrant green. A few minutes eclipsed as she gazed upon her room with all the conflicting colors that seemed to flicker, wax, and wane when the mood struck them.

"Why?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

"_You have a goddess' sight, mine more specifically. I only see that of the living or what once was. They call out to me with their needs and joys; those are the colors and patterns. You will learn what it all means with enough practice." _Without any words of goodbye she faded out of existence leaving a confused Sakura and an aggravated inner Sakura.

"Get your ass back here and tell me what the hell is going on!" Inner Sakura demanded stomping her foot to accentuate her point. Eager to be able to see where she was going Sakura stood and made her way to the living room where a certain over protective blonde was sleeping on her couch. To her credit she only stubbed her toe once on something that she couldn't see, she would guess it was her at home medical kit which was made unluckily enough of metal. When she saw the form on the couch something was wrong, horribly, disgustingly wrong.

It was a fox, perhaps even two, one trapped under the others skin. Before she could register the dark aura that seemed to be oozing outward coating her living room the fox(s) looked at her. Inner Sakura started to run in circles while tugging at her hair in a panic and Sakura wished her body would respond enough to run in circles or even better yet away, away from the creature that was taking shape in her living room. Instead she gazed into the tawny eyes of a beast that had tales of it still being passed around the village. "This would be a great time to move legs!" Sakura muttered urgently unable to tear her eyes away. Slowly Kyuubi's maw opened revealing cruel teeth that she was sure could tear and rend flesh with only a graze. Wide eyed but paralyzed she stood helpless as reality bent to allow the Kyuubi to swallow her whole sending her spinning into oblivion.

With a splash she landed with all the grace she could extend in the situation, falling through nothingness to land in shallow trickling waste water. Inner Sakura gave a very distasteful face and took a step to the side to get away from the foul smell emanating from the water. With wide eyes both realized that they were both there in the metaphorical flesh. Pushing inner Sakura's victory yell and the feeling of utter and complete confusion both away Sakura instead focused her energies on getting out of where ever she was.

Getting to her feet she started off inner Sakura babbling away behind her. As she walked large iron bars loomed larger seemingly extending into reality. With growing apprehension Sakura noted that there was most definitely something alive in the darkness that existed behind the bars, the glowing twin eyes couldn't be passed off as anything else. "What ever it is we'll kick its ass, Shannaro!" Inner Sakura cheered pumping her fist in the air. Sakura didn't share her alter ego's sense of confidence; those were some pretty big eyes and if the eyes were that big she shuddered to think how big it must be all told.

The putrid scent of dead and decaying things permeated the air and if it weren't for Sakura's ninja training she would have been heaving into the dirty water that flowed away from under the bars adding to the stench that wafted from it.

**What brings a goddess to my humble abode? Came to see me caged, tied to a human? **With self deprecating barks of laughter he shook everything sending shudders down Sakura's spine; inner Sakura on the other hand seemed nonplussed.

"Well I am pretty divine." Inner Sakura complimented herself while fluffing her locks. Suddenly the golden eyes of the Kyuubi narrowed seeking out the voice. The widened dramatically moments later and the face became visible red orange fur matted slightly with grime and furrowed in rage.

**Who are you?** So he finally realized she wasn't a goddess. Sakura took a few steps back in preparation to flee to nowhere.

"Poor wittle Kyuubi, trapped in the cage. Big bad Kyuubi can't get out, what a shame." Inner Sakura sauntered by the cage speaking in mock baby tones. If Sakura didn't know her better she would have seriously doubted inner Sakura's will to live.

**I'll kill you! **Sakura definitely doubted the wisdom of angering the Kyuubi this doubt was only magnified by the earthquake like shudder that tore through the ground as the beast rammed itself against the bars.

"I could kick your furry ass any day!" The cage that encased the malignant fox was probably what had given inner Sakura her courage but sadly it didn't have quite the same effect on Sakura. Whilst Sakura's eyes stayed transfixed on the bars looking for any signs of weakness so as to know when to bolt inner Sakura was busy turning and pulling down her drawers' to give the now thoroughly pissed off fox an ample view of her bare rear. "Hey Naruto!" Inner Sakura waved with a rather proud grin. Sakura was blanching torn between laughing at the complete and utter stupidity of the moment or fainting in horror and shock that her inner self was mooning the creature that could kill everyone with as little thought as swatting at a fly.

"Your pet dog is a prick." Inner Sakura nodded sagely pulling up her pants whilst turning to eye the 'dog' with a keen eye. "Not very nice either." She concluded tapping a finger to her chin.

"Naruto, what the hell is this?" Sakura gestured wildly to the Kyuubi who was at present attacking the bars with a single minded determination, most likely to rip his harasser limb from limb.

His eyes looked troubled, their usual shine dulled. "I see you've met Kyuubi." Naruto spoke dryly his eyes seeming to take everything in but stopped at inner Sakura. "Wha…?" The question hung in the air and Sakura noted that they both had their own demons that plagued them.

"Naruto meet inner Sakura, inner Sakura meet Naruto." Sakura spoke tiredly realizing that the day had only begun and yet there were so many questions to answer, she wondered if they would ever all be answered, if they should be answered.

Inner Sakura sashayed over blatantly while pushing her lips into a sexy pout. "Damn, you look even better in person…" 

Sakura was sure of two things. One, Naruto's eyebrows couldn't be any further into his hair line if he tried and two, inner Sakura would have taken things _much_ further had she not pulled her back and away by the scruff of her shirt while shouting, "Shut up you!" Giving her a look that told of unspeakable tortures inner Sakura went off to aggravate the Kyuubi sulkily.

For a moment it was silent between the two friends, to many things to say, to many secrets let out at once, the loud silence choked the air. "Shall we get out of here first?" Naruto asked somewhat timidly as he rubbed the back of his head all but announcing his nervousness.

"That would be nice." Sakura smiled timidly, a small reprieve from the seriousness of the situation. Naruto gave a cut nod before closing his eyes and taking her hand, in a second they were gone from the mental prison.

* * *

Behold, the second chapter! Only two reviews so far but that's ok because I like the story and I love my reviewers but all the same reviews would be nice. Constructive critisism is even better as long as it's not cleverly hidden admist a flame. Moral of this random blurb is review and all is well with the world! -Cloey Marie-


	3. Regal animals and colors sublime

_A voice said, Look me in the stars  
And tell me truly, men of earth,  
If all the soul-and-body scars  
Were not too much to pay for birth._

-A Question by Robert Frost-

_Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black  
And the dark street winds and bends.  
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow  
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,  
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go  
To the place where the sidewalk ends.  
-_Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein-

* * *

Upon awakening from their trance like state they had agreed that a drink would be best to talk over. Naruto had broken out the sake and both warmed themselves and loosened their tongues with the liquid. If she looked at him she could see the fox, if she bore her eyes into him she could see the demon. It seemed he had retreated farther into to his cage, far enough that Sakura felt safe enough to let her rigid body relax.

"You're a fox." She spoke slowly, as if not aware that she had said it aloud at all. Naruto's body shifted slightly, leaning forwards ready to catch even the quietest of whispers. His eyes, they stayed the same, the rest of him had an animalistic tinge to it, as if a master painter had outlined a human but had instead painted a fox over top. The startling blue remained the same. It struck her then that this was his heart; his everything was contained in those two spheres. It was no wonder they were the most intricate and breathtaking she had ever beheld, it was the focus of Naruto. I wonder if that's how our eyes are too… Inner Sakura mused from the recesses of Sakura's mind just on the edge of hearing.

"I can't see you. No, that's not right. I can, you're just… different. You look like a fox." She struggled to explain twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

A bitter smile curled his lips before he doused it with more sake, "should have known."

Realizing instantly what he thought Sakura quickly set him straight, "It's not _him_, it's you. He's in there too, but it's weird, he's separate. He's a fox and you're a fox but you two look so different."

A puzzled expression overcame Naruto and Sakura waited for him to do something, Kami knew she couldn't explain it any better. Hell, she didn't even know what was going on.

"What are you then?" Dumb struck by the question Sakura could only blink owlishly at him.

"I don't know. I only really had time to see you." Sakura tapped her chin thinking about what she might be.

"Well, let's see!" With a bounce and a bound Naruto was standing and tugging Sakura up and towards the nearest mirror. Thanks to her ninja training Sakura managed to trail behind the blonde (Mr. Bipolar!) with ease. As Naruto positioned her before the mirror Sakura strove to see herself. She could 'see' the wood, plaster, and paint that made up the wall but there was no reflection of her. Sighing tiredly Sakura turned away. The hands that had been positioned securely on her shoulders slipped off as he saw her dejected expression.

"I can't see my own reflection Naruto."

"But, you can see me and you're right in front of a mirror Sakura-chan…" The question hung in the air as Naruto struggled to understand the strange phenomenon.

"She said that I had her sight and that she could only see things that were or are alive." Drumming her fingers on her forehead Sakura thought about the full implications of the limitations of her new 'vision'.

"Who's she?" Naruto chuckled and laughed abashedly as he scratched the back of his head, a habit of his.

Just this goddess who likes to mess with people, me specifically. Yah, that's going to go over well. Inner Sakura voiced sarcastically.

"Ko-no-Hana." Sakura mumbled angling her head downwards realizing how ridiculous is sounded; saying a deity had given her sight.

Naruto was silent for a time before he rumbled, "We should probably go and see Tsunade then, ne?"

"Yah, but not right now." Determined she raised her gaze to bore into his eyes searching out the Kyubi hiding within him. "How did he get into you?"

With forced lightness he answered, "He had to go somewhere, ne? They needed a new born child to seal him in and I fit the bill. Not my favorite birthday present." Naruto joked roughly as he moved to guide her back to the couch.

"What about the other you that was there?" Sakura didn't comment on the quick change of topics or that he was leading her to the couch when she now had sight of sorts.

"That's Inner Sakura; she's been with me for years. She just showed up one day. She was so mad that I was being picked on that she punched someone." Sakura chuckled at the memory of the horrified child's face. "Scared me for a while but you get used to her." Giving a slight shrug of the shoulder Sakura sat down on her couch once more as she took in her house under the filter of the goddess.

It just takes people a while to recognize how great I am. Inner Sakura clarified as she flicked her hair over her shoulder to accentuate the point. Rolling her eyes at her inner's antics Sakura saw that Naruto was smiling once again. Raining in her wondering attention she centered her gaze on the strange double layered fox. He was outlined in wavering tints of dark green. Leaning forward slightly in confusion she watched as it slowly changed to a golden color. Somehow she thinks it fits him better, the putrid green just _felt_ wrong to her.

"We'd better go see Tsunade-baa-chan now." Nodding her head in absentminded agreement she follows Naruto out into the night. It doesn't appear to be dark though, the plants give off light and Sakura wonders if she could even see the sun and its light.

Well it's not alive so we probably can't. We have the ultimate night vision! Cheered by the favorable byproduct of her eyesight Sakura is soon brought to attention to its pitfalls when she slams her shoulder upon a mailbox. Inner Sakura does all the cursing necessary while Sakura regains her footing and makes sure to stand closer to Naruto who appears to be torn between laughing at her un-ninja like action and feeling pity because there was no way for her to see it. Glaring heatedly into his back Sakura passes the rest of the midnight run in silence.

-

Making their way to the Hokage's office without incident the pair knock before they enter. It is not unheard of the Lady Hokage to take swings at Naruto when he disregards curtsey which makes him a target at any meeting of the two. Sakura usually enjoys the interactions, sometimes she wonders if she became so abusive to the blonde by example but she then recalls that she did it long before she became an apprentice and promptly brushes off the issue.

"Come in." Tsunade's voice carries through the thick doors and they enter and seat themselves. On her way to the chairs before the desk Sakura almost misses her step when she sees that just like Naruto Tsunade does not look completely human. Over shadowing her physical body is a hippopotamus tinged with a brilliant emerald green at the edges. Not able to look away Sakura stumbles and ungraciously lets herself fall into the seat.

The leader of the Hidden Leaf looks as if she is carrying the brunt of this mantel tonight; her fingers grasp her skull and have tousled her hair, sake bottles are sprinkled about the room with an empty cup directly to the woman's right.

"Hey, Tsunade-baa-chan." Naruto speaks firmly making her drag her eyes from the stack of papers in front of her up to see her two guests.

Scowling she addresses her constant irritant, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Her eyes look tired and she seems on edge. It is almost humorous to see the hippo twitch its ears in annoyance but Sakura restrains her mirth and instead scoots her chair away from Naruto; an irate Tsunade is not something to be provoked. "Now, what do you want?" She demands harshly. Sakura realizes that she has had to take on her share of the work and is suffering from the addition to her already hefty responsibilities.

Feeling a swell of happiness that she can relieve her mentor of this Sakura speaks up, "I can see."

With a jerk of the head Tsunade is boring her eyes into the young woman's own. With a small smile Sakura reaches out and picks up a paper off the stack, scans it quickly before handing it back to her. "Yup, that will need to be signed." The smile is spreading as Tsunade's bewilderment almost becomes tangible in the air. Slowly she closes her eyes, holds them closed for a time, and then reopens them. Sakura is now working her way down the pile sorting it out into what needs signing and what does not.

"Stop that!" Tsunade bats away Sakura's hand as she reaches for another paper. "How in Kami's name did you get your sight back?" She sounds confused and angry as she stands to fix her apprentice with a searching gaze. Naruto watches in amusement, content to see the Hokage flustered.

"Ko-no-Hana gave me her sight. As weird as this sound she made me her vessel." Sakura explained feeling that she was sounding crazier by the word.

Mental ward here we come! Inner Sakura proclaimed as she stepped inside a padded room. Tsunade tapped her chin in thought as she shrewdly beheld her apprentice.

"Walk to the window and tap on the third pane from the right." Sakura got up and walked to the window, and though she could not see the panes of glass she could see the wood bordering each. Tapping at the correct pane Sakura turned and nearly skipped back to her suddenly grinning sensei.

"Damn." Cocking her head to the side in a silent question Sakura waited for the woman to explain her outburst. "Now I have to start going to temple." Naruto couldn't help but chortle at the two women's antics.

"Sakura-Chan can see what animal you are, I'm a fox." Declaring his friend's talents gleefully he shrugged when Tsunade gave him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "It's ok, she knows about him."

"You told her?" The Hokage asked turning to level her gaze at the whiskered man.

"I just saw him, he was inside Naruto." Sakura clarified moving to sit down in her seat.

"What animal is Tsunade-baa-Chan?" Naruto asks impatiently as he rises from his seat to invade the Hokage's personal space while squinting his eyes to try and see the animal. Eye twitching at the invasion of her personal space she can no longer contain her ire when he speaks. "She's a raccoon, isn't she? She's got enough bags under her eyes to be one." He goes sailing across the room slams into hits his own chair on the way. The back of the chair is broken off from the seat and a leg is piteously broken in two, Naruto is intact, a yard from the broken chair.

"Don't worry Tsunade, you're not a raccoon." Sakura shakes with laughter as she watches her friend gathering his wits upon the floor.

"Oh, what am I?" With a glint of curiosity she seats herself and smiles as Naruto sits up rubbing at his cheek where the punch landed.

"Well," Sakura stalls trying to word it mentally so that she and her own chair won't have to suffer the same fate as Naruto and his chair. "You're an owl."

The hippo closes it's eyes and nods slightly in happy acceptance.

* * *

Finally, an update! Originally I was going to make Tsunade an owl but then I thought about it and I concluded that I was stupid and went to get a more fitting and creative creature. A hippo fits Tsunade perfectly, especially if you look at the Egyptian goddess that has a hippo's head. Can you imagine how she would respond to being told that she was a hippo?! Heads would roll. –Cloey Marie- 


	4. Essence of life

_Part II: Purpose of life? _

_In that trip, we created a purpose to life _

_This purpose that nourishes our existence_

_T__his purpose varying from person to person_

_This purpose being a perception of past affliction_

_For few, essence of life is all about loving _

_For few, life is all about struggling _

_For few, life is all about having fun_

_This purpose, existentialists called essence_

_But I feel I am a hollow being_

_And that I could never fill it with any essence_

_For I wonder if that is the real essence _

_Or are we just a random creation lacking purpose? _

_All about the enigmatic life: Part II by Annapoorna Atluri_

"Ko-no-Hana gave you her sight?" Tsunade asked, confirming the source of Sakura's regained sense. "What did she ask for in return?" She pressed, leaning forward in her seat as she pushed the piles of paper out of her way. Naruto groaned in the background but both women ignored him as Sakura answered.

"I'm now her vessel." She said it slowly and deliberately, once again second guessing her choice. Crossing her legs for something to do, Sakura held eye contact with her sensei.

"Her vessel to do what, exactly? She must have given you terms." Tsunade spoke slowly with a searching look into the other woman's once blind eyes. Keenly, she took in the sight of Sakura worrying her lip and her unconsciously drawn together eyebrows. At her apprentice's hesitance, the Hokage rose slowly before sitting down again as she struggled to come to grips with the fact that she could do nothing: the deal had been struck and whatever was needed in return would have to be paid. She could shelter her apprentice no longer.

"Susanowa. I have to beat Susanowa's vessel. Orochimaru." Sakura broke eye contact when she realized the scope of her bargain. She must accomplish what two Sennin could not do.

It sounds so much harder when we say it aloud. Inner Sakura mused quietly from the depths of Sakura's mind. She could feel the fine threads of desperation and dissolution as they daintily seized her, ready to drag her down into the barren reality of her rash action. Just as she was about to worry her lip into having an open wound Naruto's hand grasped her shoulder and to her imaginings bore her away. Taking a deep breath, Sakura glanced at the fox feeling comforted by his unwavering warmth and steady gaze.

Turning back to her mentor Sakura spoke, "I can do this; she wouldn't have picked me if she didn't think I would win." The truth behind the statement had the desired effect on both the fox and the hippo. Tsunade's hippo ears resumed their erect position and Naruto's whiskers stopped their twitching. Sakura wasn't sure who was more calmed, the two of them or herself.

Letting out a large sigh, Tsunade seemed to come to grips with the unexpected turn of events. Sifting through her pile of papers, she selected various ones from the stack. Naruto and Sakura watched in bewilderment as the Hokage displaced papers with no reason they could decipher. Crowing her success, Tsunade began to leaf through a manila folder. Exchanging questioning glances Naruto and Sakura waited for the woman to clue them in on the reason of her apparent happiness.

"I'm now putting you on the Orochimaru case. Here's all the information you'll need. Contact me in the next week to tell me what the hell you're planning." Speaking authoritatively, Tsunade ruined the air of professionalism by pulling out a ceramic jug and taking a swing of it's contents; which they both knew to be sake.

Standing, Sakura grabbed the folder and bowed to her mentor as Naruto did the same. Quietly they departed leaving the elderly woman to ponder over fate, gods' games, her role and those of the people she loved in the whole affair. Taking another gulp of the liquid, she decided that there was little to be done to improve their lot but she would do said little in hopes that it would be the grain that offset the scales in their favor. Nodding to herself to physically seal her thoughts and resolutions Tsunade started upon her paperwork.

-

Body thrumming with adrenaline at the thought of what lay ahead, Sakura confined herself to Naruto's side. As she didn't want to explain why she could walk without aid, it was decided that she would keep up the façade of blindness to the public and let only her friends be privy to the information. The news would no doubt spread from there without her being in constant questioning.

Gently holding onto Naruto's arm as she clutched the folder in her right, she did her best to keep her eyes forward. It was so difficult, the early morning shoppers where just starting to crowd the streets and they brought with them a plethora of colors and animals. Feeling slightly giddy her ability to see she subtly tugged Naruto in the direction of a park bench not too far away.

"What is it Sakura-chan?" The blonde asked peering down at her, searching for any sign of distress.

"It's so beautiful, I want to watch." She hummed contently as she seated herself and took in the picturesque scene that unfolded before her. It was a milling, shifting animal that manifested itself in the colors that fluctuated as the people moved and interacted with each other. The diversity of animals was staggering to behold; gulls fluffed their plumage as they bargained with a ground hog for fish.

As Sakura watched the people, Naruto watched Sakura. Her eyes lit up as they flickered about the crowd and her lips were pulled in one of the biggest smiled he had seen grace her face. He had tried to see what she apparently saw but he couldn't. People. It was just people going about their everyday business; the fact that Sakura saw beauty in it caused him to strain his eyes. He saw people: people of the village that he loved and would give his life for but, they were still people.

Shaking his head to disperse the questions he spoke up, "I never knew you loved people watching so much Sakura-chan." Leaning back into the seat fully, he closed his eyes and allowed the rising sun to warm him.

"I wish you could see this… it's incredible." The woman said breathlessly as she too leaned back basking in the moment and the serenity it brought. It was not often a ninja got to enjoy things like this and Sakura was certain she wouldn't have another moment like this any time soon.

"Yo." Rolling her head towards her approaching sensei Sakura beheld a cougar. Blinking in surprise she was struck speechless.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto greeted, giving a small wave and didn't even bother with opening his eyes.

Mind awash with thoughts Sakura ventured, "Hey Kakashi-sensei, can you help me with something?" Smiling widely at him she waited for him to get his nose out of his Ichi Ichi and answer her.

Tawny eyes flickered towards her and Sakura added a "Please?" for good measure.

"Help with what?" He queried sounding bored. He was a shrewd man, Sakura would give him that.

"Just come with us." She offered hoping to pique his curiosity. He nodded his head in consent and she leapt up dragging a once peaceful Naruto with her towards home.

* * *

I have a beta, let me now do my happy dance. This is the first beta'd chapter so all those annoying spelling and grammar issues are out the door! Isn't life grand? My eternal gratitude thereby goes to Misaotheokashira. 

About the chapter, somewhat plain and somewhat short but I'm laying down some things that will be built upon. For anyone who doesn't think Kakashi is most like a cougar or for those of you who agree and just want to see my strange thought process go to wikipedia and then search cougar, all shall be made clear. Thanks for reading! –Cloey Marie-


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